119. Bloodroot

The lesson, step by step

1. When and where

   Bloodroot blooms in early spring, usually April, in rich woods and along shady banks. Comstock notes the flowers are too fragile to carry home, so study them where they grow.

   Before you go, make sure your child can spot poison ivy: three leaflets on each leaf ("leaves of three, let it be"), often climbing as a hairy vine or growing as a low patch.

2. The leading thought

   The bloodroot has a fleshy rootstock, in which is stored food for the nourishment of the blossom in early spring. The flower bud is at first protected by the folded leaf.

   Comstock adds that the root's red juice was used as war paint. Safety: that juice is poisonous and can burn the skin. Don't break the stems or roots, and skip her question about breaking a bit off the root.

3. The leaf wraps the bud

   What do we see first when the bloodroot puts its head above the soil? Where is the flower bud? How is it protected by the leaf?

   Look for a plant just coming up, where the single leaf is wrapped around the stem like a cloak.

4. Look at the flower

   At what time of year does bloodroot blossom? In what situations does it thrive?

   How many petals? What is their color and texture?

   Look straight into the flower; is its shape circular or square?

   Do the flowers close nights and during dark days?

   Use the lens to look at the yellow stamens around the pistil.

5. Compare

   Compare the bloodroot with the poppies; do you find any resemblance in habits?

   Hint: bloodroot belongs to the poppy family. Both have colored juice and both drop their petals quickly.

6. Nature notebook

   Draw the leaf wrapped around the bud, then the open flower. Your child writes one sentence about why the leaf is like a cloak. Wash hands when you come in.